Fig Salad with Raisin Vinaigrette Recipe

Have you ever wondered how raisins are made? I have. Raisins bring out some of the fondest of memories from when I was a child.

Raisins drying out on paper. Sun dried

My appreciation for fresh food and real ingredients was stilled in me by my grandmother, Maruja, in Spain. She considered cooking, baking, and meal planning a necessary skill for every homemaker.

Grapes become raisins after sunbathing and a lot of “washing”

Maruja had her methods of teaching basic culinary skills. From cracking eggs into a bowl without breaking the shell into small pieces to whipping egg whites by hand until they became a thick merengue.

Frosting a cake? That’s something I was allowed to do after I learned to whip egg whites, make frosting and demonstrated that I had a steady hand. Her methods worked. I can do those things and many more thanks to her.

Wear jeans and boots if you visit the vines. It’s dusty!

When we were finished practicing the culinary skill for the day, we often sat and drank warm tea and ate raisins. I used to love eating a handful of raisins, filling my mouth with warm tea and letting them puff up! Silly, I know but really cool when you are 5 or 6 years old. Other times, when I asked her for a “snack” she would gladly hand me my yellow plastic cup and fill it with a handful of raisins.

So, you can imagine my excitement when I was offered the opportunity to become a California Raisin ambassador. Maruja would be really happy!

Taking “sun” dried to a whole new level. On the vine

I had the pleasure of going to California to “raisin country” aka Fresno and tour Circle K Farms as well as the Wilt Residence for an amazing dinner. Although I loved all the dishes prepared by Chef Mike Siegel using California Raisins, one of the recipes I wanted to re-create at home was a balsamic raisin vinagrete he used in our salad that night. The figs, cheese and raisin vinaigrette was out of this world.

Ok, so I might not have recreated the recipe exactly -I actually forgot to ask him how he made it- but I created my own version and I have to say that it is delicious. I’ve since used it on salads, roasted eggplant and I even used it to marinate steak. Enjoy!